


Apricot and Blueberry

by Dita_Mai_24



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, RIORDAN Rick - Works, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hera erasing their memories in the past is mentioned, M/M, Post-Tartarus (Percy Jackson), but DONT WORRY that doesn’t mean there wont be a happy ending :), jercy - Freeform, this one might hurt the percabeth shippers yall (I’m one myself so...)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26027149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dita_Mai_24/pseuds/Dita_Mai_24
Summary: Percy feels like his life is crumbling to dust. Annabeth keeps distracting herself. Jason takes a semester off.Or: While Percy and Jason still struggle with their amnesia issues they find themselves remembering a surprising amount of details about each other.
Relationships: Jason Grace/Percy Jackson, Past Jason Grace/Piper McLean - Relationship, past Percy Jackson/Annabeth Chase - Relationship
Comments: 18
Kudos: 150





	Apricot and Blueberry

**Author's Note:**

> I did not rate this M because there is no nsfw BUT there are some curse words and Percys Tartarus experiences are described quite vividly so... Just so you know :)
> 
> I‘m actually really proud of this fic and I hope you‘ll enjoy! <3

Percy opens his eyes abruptly. He’s lying in his bed. There’s a sour taste in his dry mouth. He feels something sharp against his fingers. He picks it up and holds it in front of him. A piece of broken glass. 

He hoists himself up on his elbows and winces. His whole bed is covered in glass shards. Digging mercilessly into his back.

He stares at his legs. Red angry blisters are bursting through the skin. 

The demigod looks up. Weird, he thinks. Above the bed there are orange clouds, floating around the room. An acidic smell fills the air.

Annabeth bursts through the door and Percy wakes up. She rushes to the bed and gives him a quick kiss on his sweaty forehead. “I’m off to the seminar.” Percy doesn’t know what seminar she’s talking about this time.

She’s already halfway out the door again when she looks back at him. “Alright there?”

Percy nods. Annabeth looks unsure. Like she doesn’t know what to say, how to talk to him. So she glances at her watch and leaves.

It takes Percy a while to get out of bed. He wrecks his brain trying to remember what Annabeth had told him the day before. But he doesn’t. He’s too tired to fight the uprising panic in him. It crawls underneath his skin, shame and embarrassment flooding his mind. He keeps forgetting. Forgetting about plans. Well, Annabeths plans. It’s not like he really has any of his own.

The cat is what brings him out of his spiraling thoughts. She jumps on the bed, sinking her little claws into the mattress. A few annoyed _meows_ later Percy finally manages to get up. He’s careful, like the glass shards might still be there. He sits on the edge of the bed, breathing in and out. But the acidic feeling doesn’t leave. It never really does. 

He stands up at last and makes his way to the kitchen. It’s all white and gray, a lot of pens and papers strewn across the counter. Little notes everywhere on the fridge, on the wall. It’s all Annabeths. Her plans and schedules. Architecture seems to be a quite time consuming major.

Percy opens the cupboard where the cats food is stored. “Shit.” He murmurs. It’s empty. He sighs and rubs his eyes but the headache doesn’t go away. The cat curls around his feet and complains. It lashes out suddenly, scratching and biting his calve. It’s cute, somehow. Percy smiles. It feels strange on his face now. Foreign. 

He crouches down and let’s the cat bite his finger a bit. “I’ll get you something, alright?” His voice is rough and loud in the empty apartment.

After dressing and grabbing grocery bags Percy puts a hand on his jeans pocket. He considers leaving Riptide at home. He can’t tell if having it with him makes him feel safe or just more anxious lately. 

In the end he takes it with him. As always.

The sun in blinding outside. Percy is quite relieved when he enters the store and a wave of cool air washes over him. He doesn’t like heat lately. 

Percy looks at his phone and opens Annabeths last text. A short grocery list. Annabeth never writes long ones. If they eat something fresh together at all it is usually Percy doing the cooking.

She’s too stressed, to busy. Percy isn’t. And his cooking skills are better anyway.

Percy enters the aisle with pastries and stands rooted to the spot. He can’t believe his eyes. 

Jason is there, a shopping basket in one hand. The other hand thoughtfully touching his chin. He seems to sense someone watching him and turns around. He freezes and stares.

They both stare at each other. Percy doesn’t know what so say. His head is empty. “Jason.”

Jason huffs our a breath and puts his basket on the floor. “Percy! I haven’t seen you in ages!” He walks up to him and hugs Percy. There’s a faint smell of almond and citrus around the blonde. Percy is painfully aware of his own old hoodie. It still smells of the Asian takeaway that Annabeth has brought home yesterday. 

Jason pulls back and grins. He touches Percys chin quickly. “I like the stubble.”

Percy can’t help but smile back. Maybe it also hides the fact that this isn’t a carefully grown beard but rather Percys lack of motivation to shave.

Jason is wearing a simple blue shirt and nice jeans. His glasses are set a bit too low. Percy has the strange urge to push them up for him. “What are you doing here?” He asks instead. As far as he knew Jason went to college and lived in New Rome. Annabeth and Percy lived in Mission Bay in San Francisco. It wasn’t far but still.

Jason grabs the basket he put down before. “I’m taking a semester off.” He looks down, not meeting Percys eyes. His glasses slide further down and Percy almost reaches out. He doesn’t though.

“Why?” He asks. 

Jason straightens his glasses himself then and meets his gaze. He squares his shoulders as if he‘s gathering courage. “I wasn’t doing too well.”

“Oh.” Again, Percy doesn’t know what to say. He hasn’t heard about this. 

“I mean my results were fine and all but... I wasn’t so sure if it was the right subject anymore.” Jason’s knuckles around his shopping basket turn white. “I’m a bit of a mess, to be honest.” His shoulders slump down and he smiles weakly. 

Percy thinks Jason couldn’t look less like ‘a mess’. But he nods. 

„You’re not in college yet, are you?“ Jason asks.

Percy tells him he isn’t. He doesn’t know what to study. He thought about marine science for a while. That seemed like the obvious choice. He looked it up and read through the subjects:

Biological oceanography, fisheries sciences, mathematics and statistics, physics and chemistry, marine microbiology...

The reality of it was like a slap in his face. He couldn’t even start to think of managing all that. Plus taking his dyslexia into account that seems to become worse these days ... That dream evaporated and left an empty space pulling Percy down and down and down. 

“Well, that’s no big deal right?” Jason says and it’s not a questions, more a fact. It’s actually so matter of fact that Percy almost stumbles backwards. “It’s not?” He asks and it sounds childish to his ears.

Jason frowns. “I don’t think so. We’re young. We’ve got time to figure it all out.” He smiles and Percy almost misses it slipping a bit. Almost. “Jason, are you alright?”

Percy sees him swallow, his Adam’s apple bopping up and down. It’s strangely intriguing. Jason nods a bit too quickly. “Yeah, just a little confused lately.” He straightens his glasses again. “About the subject, you know.”

Percy nods. An old lady grumbles behind him. He apologizes and makes way for her. When Percy looks back at Jason there’s a troubled look on his face. 

“Also... Piper broke up with me.”

Percys mouth falls open. He hasn’t heard about that either. 

Jason holds one hand up. “It’s alright though, don’t worry. I’m not as heartbroken as I thought I’d be. To be completely honest, it was sort of coming for a while.” There is a very faint blush on his cheeks now. Percy finds himself staring at it. “We just didn’t talk about it a lot and at one point we just weren’t... I don’t know, we just weren’t a couple anymore. It’s hard to explain.”

Percy tries so hard. He tries so hard not to think about Annabeth. Of a parallel there. „I’m sorry.” He says because it feels appropriate. 

Jason smiles. He reaches out and pushes Percy lightly on the arm. “Wanna walk down the street a bit? I’ve still got time. I’m buying dinner stuff for Caine and myself but he doesn’t expect me until in an hour or so.”

“Who’s Caine?” Percy asks trying to fight down the anxiety that comes with forgetting things. 

Jason frowns. His eyebrows are a darker shade of blonde than his hair. They’re thinner than Percys own black brows. “He’s another Roman. He’s one of the few demigods to leave New Rome. He actually lives around the corner here. I’m temporarily his roommate.” Jason looks at him expectedly. Like Percy is supposed to know about Caine. He opens his mouth to say something but closes it again.

Jason’s frown returns. “Didn’t Annabeth tell you? He’s an architecture freak just like her. The two of them are in contact I think.”

Percy shakes his head. “She- she must have forgotten. To mention it.”

They both don’t say anything for a minute until Percy can’t stand it anymore. “I kind of have to feed our cat.” He gestures at the cat food in his own basket.

“Oh, yeah. Sure.” Jason sounds almost disappointed.

“But we can hang out, if you want. Soon.” Percy says already insecure about his words the moment they left his mouth. 

Jason nods quickly. “I’d love to, Percy.” There’s something urgent in his voice that Percy can’t really interpret. “I’ll text you.”

Jason smiles again. He sounds a bit breathless when he answers “Okay.”

“Did you know Jason and Piper broke up?” Percy asks. Annabeth is here, for once. She throws her keys on the counter and dumps her bag in a chair. Her hair is a mess, but she still looks beautiful. She doesn’t look at him as she answers but rummages around in the cupboard. “Yeah, Piper told me the other day. I’m honestly not that surprised.” 

“You’re not surprised?”

Annabeth shrugs and shakes her head. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Finally she turns around. She’s holding a white cup. _Academy of Arts University_ is written across it. „I didn’t think you’d take it well.“ She sighed. „I didn’t want to worry you.“

Percy feels heavy. But fragile at the same time. „I would have liked to know.“ 

„Oh, Percy.“ She walks up to him and slowly runs a hand through his dark hair. It feels nice. But that’s all. Percy tries to remember a time when this would have made fireworks explode in his stomach. When Annabeths smell was intoxicating, her eyes so captivating, sending sparks through every fibre of his body.

But it’s just a hand in his hair. A calming feeling, her nails on his scalp. There’s still that bond between them. Memories that no one could take from them. That would bind them together. Forever. 

Percy looks at her and now all that runs though his mind is her scared face down in Tartarus. When he controlled Akhlys’ poison. With every imaginable horror that they faced down there, there was a moment where Annabeth was most afraid of him. _Him_.

It is a line that shouldn’t have been crossed. Percy hesitates to even control water these days. 

He accepts Annabeths hug.

Immediately he’s back in Tartarus holding her trembling hot body. Her skin is scratched, bloody, ruined.

Annabeth pulls back. Percy blinks. She’s actually totally fine. No scratches. No blood. 

He looks her in the eyes and tries to convince himself they’re not hollow and clouded like they were back then. 

Suddenly Percy feels sick. He shrugs out of her embrace and turns away. “I can’t look at you without thinking about it.”

Annabeth doesn’t say anything. He feels her eyes on him.

Percy knows he’s being unfair. He sounds accusing. Even though none of this is her fault. 

He runs a finger across a little note on the counter. It’s a list of phone numbers. Annabeths new friends from college. He turns around. He can’t breath properly. “Are you happy?” 

Annabeth tilts her head. She seems to search something on his face. 

“Are you happy, Annabeth?” Percy asks again and it’s only so much he can do to keep his voice from trembling. A water bottle on the counter quivers. The coffee in Annabeths cup splashes around. A few drops fall to the white floor. Percy hates it.

He can’t bring himself to even look at water one day - the next day he’s so overly powerful and uncontrolled he can sense the water in every cell of his and Annabeths body. Being aware of the sheer potential of his abilities makes him dizzy. 

Annabeth looks up from the coffee on the floor and takes a step back. It does nothing to calm him. “There’s a mock exam early tomorrow.” She puts the cup on the counter. “I’ll probably be gone by the time you wake up.” 

Percy nods. His anger evaporates. The water bottle stills. Annabeth hesitates, but turns and leaves for the bathroom.

He stands there for a long time. Tears escape his eyes, the salty liquid a strangely good feeling on the demigods skin. 

Percy flinches when his phone buzzes. It’s a text from Jason.

_ I know you said you’d be the one to text me but... I really want to see you again Percy. I’m a bit scared I imagined us meeting (i know it’s silly)  _

Another text: _that happens sometimes... me questioning things (because of hera you know... the whole erased memory thing)_

And a third text: _sorry I don’t need to tell you, you went through the same thing I know._

_ See you hopefully :)  _

Percys breath catches as he reads through the words. His heart clenches, there’s suddenly a sort of almost painful ache deep in his chest. He suddenly can’t wait to see Jason again.

They decide to walk down the same street after all. Percy put on a clean shirt and shorts today. He feels better about himself. He’s also strangely nervous.

Jason gave him a bear hug when they reunited at the bus stop. 

Now they’re sitting on a bench in the local park. A few kids run around nearby, couples walk their dogs, someone plays a guitar.

“I have the same problem, you know.” Percy doesn’t know why he talks about it. He barely mentions his amnesia issues with Annabeth. Not that she doesn’t know but they don’t really _talk_ about it. For some reason it seems okay to tell Jason. 

The blonde looks at him. The blue of his eyes is absolutely stunning. Why has Percy never noticed it before? Jason’s eyes remind him of his moms cakes, cookies and smoothies. He can almost taste the sweets. He feels grounded somehow but dizzy at the same time looking at Jason. He wants to take Jasons glasses off to have a better view.

“Do you mean what I was texting you about?” 

Percy nods.

“Fuck.” Jason looks across the park. He shakes his head. „It’s so fucked up. The memories she put in our heads. Well, especially in Piper and Leo’s. You know, the fake ones.“ He shakes his head again, there’s sadness and bitterness written all over his face. „The three of us. After everything around the war quieted down we’ve never been the same. We’re grasping to make new real memories together but...“ He trails off and puts his head in his hands, elbows on his knees.

Percy shuffles closer and puts a careful hand on the other boys back. Even in this vulnerable moment he can sense the unearthly power hiding underneath Jason’s skin. It’s a pulsating feeling where his palm touches Jason’s back. It makes him feel connected to the son of Jupiter in a way that only an equally powerful demigod could understand. 

It’s a low mumble when Jason continues. Percy has to lean closer to understand him. „Sometimes I come home and suddenly I’m afraid the things I saw and felt throughout the day were just another bunch of fake memories imposed in my head. It feels like she’s always there. Hera. Like...“ Jason trails off again and Percy can feel him trembling slightly. „It’s like her hand is constantly looming over me, you know.“

Percys throat feels tight. There’s a wave of affection for Jason rolling through him, so strong that it takes Percys breath away.

Jason leans against the back of the bench again and looks at him. Percy pulls his hand away. „Do you know what I mean?“ 

Percy nods. „It’s either that or Tartarus.“ He says not trying to hide the bitterness in his voice.

Jason’s eyes widen. Percy forces himself to look away. „I- I’m sorry.“ The blonde stutters.

Percy gazes at the mortals walking by. A young couple laughs rushing past on rollerblades. It looks fun, Percy wonders if he’d like rollerblading. He wonders if Jason would like it.

He smiles even though it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. „They’re so clueless aren’t they?“

Jason chuckles. A low rumble in his chest. Percy tries to ignore the flutter in his own stomach. „Lucky bastards.“ Jason says.

They stay silent for a while after that but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s nice. Percy realizes that the sun was shining, burning hot on his skin this whole time and he hasn’t once connected it to the burning heat in Tartarus.

Percy is surprised to find Annabeth sitting on the bed when he comes home. She looks pale. 

He sits down next to her and puts an arm around her shoulders. He kisses her on the side of her head and breaths in the vanilla scent. Percy always liked her smell. „I’m sorry about yesterday.“ He says. Because he truly is. „I get frustrated sometimes.“ He is relieved when the words come out on their own. Talking to Annabeth still came easy to him. „It seems like you’re coping so well... with all of this. And I’m a fucking wreck.“

Annabeth looks at him then. Tears are swimming in her eyes. „Percy I‘m just distracting myself all the time, don’t you see that? I’m always keeping myself busy, visiting class after class. Studying and studying and studying.“ Her tears form wet circles on the grey jeans she’s wearing. „I barely look at myself in the mirror afraid to see that hollow dead version of myself wrapped in Death Mist.“

Percy feels his own eyes tearing up. He nods and pulls her closer. It’s like they’re back in that first air bubble Percy ever formed when they were 13 years old on a rescue mission to save Grover. Annabeths body is shaking with her wrecked sobs. Percy holds her close even though the memories from Tartarus come washing over him.

At some point they both stop crying. Annabeth still leans against him, staring at nothing. „When did this happen?“

Percy frowns. „What do you mean?“ His voice cracks and he clears his throat.

„When did we stop being a couple?“

A numb feeling settles over him. He’s cold. „I love you, Annabeth.“ He says. It doesn’t feel wrong. He does love her.

She pulls away to look at him. A sad smile appears on her lips. 

„But I know what you mean.“

Annabeth intertwines their fingers. „You’re the most important person in my life, Percy. I don’t think that that’s ever going to change.“

Percy squeezes her hand. Somehow this is okay. He doesn’t feel like the ground is opening up, like his life was a lie or everyone will hate him for this. 

He’s calm. He breathes in and out and there’s no acid in his lungs. He looks at Annabeth. „So this isn’t the end of the world, then?“

She laughs softly and strokes his cheek with her free hand. „It’s not, no.“ 

He leans in and kisses her on the cheek. And it’s enough. He doesn’t need more, doesn’t want more. 

He thinks about Jason then. He’d text him about meeting again later. He knows somehow, that he won’t forget that.

Percys palms are sweaty as he stands in front of the apartment building. Like Jason said he’s sharing a flat with that Caine guy for a few weeks. He told Percy it’s good for him to spent some time away from everyone at camp. He makes sure they all know he’s okay though.

The building is right around the corner from the park they visited the other day. Percy squints at the nameplates. There’s one with a neatly printed name and a messily scribbled _Grace_ underneath. Percy reaches out to push the according button but then the door swings open. Jason steps out. He’s wearing a light green shirt and jeans today. He puts down a box he was holding. “Percy, dude!” The blonde comes closer and Percy knows what’s coming. His strong arms wrap around Percy, the scent of citrus and almond enveloping him. He would become addicted to Jason’s hugs. 

“Saw you from the window.” Jason says. “Did you come from the beach?” They’re still hugging but Percy can’t let go of him. He shakes his head. “No, why do you think so?”

Jason pulls back then and shrugs. “You smell like it. Like sand and salt.”

Percy can’t help but grin. “Now, sand and salt. That sounds like a dream, truly.” He makes sure his voice is dripping with sarcasm.

Jason laughs and it’s that low rumble again that goes straight to Percys own chest. “I meant it as a compliment, honestly. Those are nice smells.” Jason grins too now. It’s blindingly beautiful. „Fresh and wild.“ He jerks one hand up but puts it down again. His eyes flicker up to Percys hair for a second. Did he want to touch it?

Percy points to the box on the floor. „So what’s in there?“ 

„Oh!“ Jason turns and crouches down. He opens the box and pulls a pair of yellow rollerblades out of it. They look a bit battered. 

„I saw you staring at this couple rollerblading the other day in the park. These are lent from Caine and his brother.“ Jason shoves the box towards Percy with his foot. There’s another pair in it. Percy looks up and stares at the blonde. He laughs at Percys expression. „I thought it’s a nice idea. I’ve never done this. Have you?“

Percy shakes his head. „This is gonna be a disaster, man.“ He pulls his pair out of the box anyway and they start for the park.

As it turns out they are indeed quite shit at rollerblading. Jason more-so than Percy which the Greek is maybe a little too proud of. He finds his face set in a permanent smile as they try to skate down the walk without falling on their asses. 

Jason constantly grabs at Percys shirt to steady himself but Percy is too quick and Jason just staggers around until he lands in the soft grass next to the path with a thud. 

Percy looks back at him now, Jason is trying to get back up again. It looks utterly ridiculous. Percy is so busy watching him that he doesn’t see the low hanging tree branch in front of him. He turns, it whips in his face, hard. “Argh!” Now Percy is the one staggering and flailing his arms. He just so manages to break his fall by toppling onto the bench next to him. It knocks the breath out of him. But he feels more alive than he has in weeks. 

Jasons laughter rings from a few meters up the way. He’s still sitting on the side of the road. „I give up, dude. This is hopeless.“ He reaches for the rollerblades straps.

„No, try it!“ Percy says. He holds his hands out before he can stop himself. Suddenly he wants to see Jason succeed in this. „Try one more time. To reach me at least.“

Jason hesitates. His gaze is glued to Percys hands. „Okay.“

It takes forever until Jason manages. But when he does reach Percy, Percys hands are there. Jason grabs them for support and comes to a halt in front of him. 

They grin at each other. Percy feels the world around them fall away as they stand there. All colors expect the blue of Jason’s eyes and the blonde of his hair become blurred. Percy looks up at him and Jason looks down at him. Their fingers are intertwined tightly. It all goes on a beat too long and Percy thinks they both know.

Their hands part at last and Jason sits down next to him. He rests his long arms on the back of the bench. Percy leans back and looks up at the sky. „This is good.“

Jason nods. „And it’s real.“

Percy doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t need to. For once they don’t have to explain anything to anyone. They understand each other. 

Percys leans further back so that he traps Jason’s arm between the bench and himself. „It is. We made this memory. No god, no monster, no one else involved.“

Maybe he’s just imagining it but he thinks he can feel the slightest tingle like really weak electricity running along Jason’s arm where it’s pressed against Percys back.

When they walk back to Jason’s apartment Percy notices a bloody wound on the blondes elbow. He grabs his arm. They stop and Percy takes a closer look. 

„Ow!“ Jason complains.

„You’ve hurt yourself.” 

Jason looks at it too and winces. “Aw, shit.”

Percy puts pressure on the skin on both sides of the wound with his fingers. The bruised skin stretches. He feels Jason’s eyes on him. “What are you doing?”

“I’m checking if there’s dirt in the wound.”

Jason keeps staring at him. “Percy, it’s a simple scrape.“ He pulls his hand out of Percys grip and shoves his shoulder with his own. His face is really close to Percys when he says „I think I might just survive that.“ 

Percy rolls his eyes and pushes Jason away. A laugh escapes him though which surprises him. He almost puts a hand over his mouth. But then he freezes.

Jason is already a few steps ahead when he notices Percy stopped walking. He turns. “Percy?”

The son of Poseidon stares at his fingers. There’s blood on them. Jason’s blood. He must have brushed against the wound when Jason pulled his arm away earlier. 

The liquid paints his fingertips a sharp glaring shade of red. But Percy feels nothing. No memories piercing his insides, no acid filling his lungs, no screams, no pain.

Just blood. Just a bit blood from a wound Jason got while falling on his ass in the park.

Percy is so taken aback, it’s like a rug was pulled from underneath him. 

He stumbles and Jason is there, wrapping his arms around him like he always does. Percy wonders for a moment if Jason is as obsessed with hugging him as Percy is with being hugged by him.

He pulls one arm away to grab Percys wrist. His eyes widen as he looks down at Percys fingers. “Oh shit. Oh, gods I’m sorry Percy.” He wraps his own fingers around Percys as if to hide the blood. “This is like… a trigger for you isn’t it?” He asks looking back up at Percy.

Percy frowns. “No, no it’s not.”

Jason’s eyes are blue like the ocean. But instead of thinking about drowning in Cocytus, the River of Lamentation, Percy is flooded with memories of salty water rushing over his skin, knitting broken skin back together, amplifying his strength, giving him hope, letting him breath. Healing.

„Not right now, it’s not.“ He says again. He wants to say more, wants Jason to know what this means to him. But it’s hard to find the right words.

„Okay.“ Jason whispers. His eyes roam Percys face. Percy knows their cheeks are both flushed. And he doubts it’s from their skating session alone.

The whole next week Annabeth is gone. She’s taking a trip with a few friends from college. They shed another few tears together this morning. But it’s over. They’ll always be bound together though, by all the memories they have. Percy hopes that one day he will be able to push the bad ones to the back of his mind and focus more on the good ones.

He can’t deny he’s scared for his friends to know, for his mom and Paul to know… Annabeth had told him its okay if he tells others but they don’t have to rush it. Percy agrees.

Somehow he’s not so scared to tell Jason. So he is only slightly nervous as he types the text message.

_ Annabeth and I… we’re not really together anymore. _

There’s no answer for a long time. Percy wonders if it was weird to tell Jason. He probably fucked this up.

But then Jason does answer.

_ Percy I’m so sorry. Can I call you? _

Percy stares at the phone, taken aback. It buzzes and he almost drops it.

** Jason Grace calling… **

He pushes the little green symbol. “Hey.”

“…where are you?”

Percy frowns. “At home.” 

He hears Jason exhale. 

“Where did you think I was?”

“Nowhere I- I was just scared for a second that… well, I don’t know. What if you would have done something really impulsive and dangerous…?”

“…Like what?”

Jason sighs. “Is Annabeth okay?”

“Yeah, she’s on a trip with friends.”

“Oh, wow really?”

Percy smiles weakly. “Yes. It’s a whole lot of distracting herself though.”

“Hm.”

“But no. Yes, she… and I, we’re actually okay, surprisingly.” Percy clears his throat because his voice is getting feeble now. “It wasn’t easy though. Admitting that. Getting to that point…”

“Yeah. I imagine you guys will always have each other some way or another. You’ve been friends for ages. Piper and I… we don’t talk that much. Maybe that will return but for now… For now we go our separate ways.”

Jason sounds so sad it makes Percys heart drop. He thinks about how weird it is. The two of them talking like this but not actually being together. “Do you want to come over?” The words tumble out if his mouth before he can think about it too much.

Jason is silent for a beat. “To your flat?”

Uneasiness settles in Percys stomach. “Only if you want, I don’t know… I- I’d like to have you here.” His face is burning but he can’t pretend the longing ache in his chest that comes with the thought of Jason isn’t there.

Jason agrees to come over tonight and Percy feels them again. The fireworks.

Naturally, Jason hugs him when Percy opens the door. But it’s different this time. Jason doesn’t storm in and squeeze the air out of Percys lungs. He just stands there for a few seconds. He looks at Percy with so much sympathy in his eyes that Percy nearly tears up again.

He slowly opens his arms then and then Jason is all around him. He breathes in his citrus scent and its like fresh air filling his lungs. „I‘m so sorry, Percy.“

Percy buries his face in Jasons shoulder. He can feel the sharp frame of his glasses on his cheek. „Let‘s not talk about it now.“ He hesitates. „Actually, I‘d like to not tell everyone immediately.“

Jason pulls back, their cheeks brush together for a moment. Percys beard scratches against Jasons even skin. Jason looks at him. He nods. „Okay. Take your time. This is a big step. Did it all go down in a fight or...?“

Percy wrings his hands and considers his answer. „I did get sort of angry the day before. I couldn‘t really control myself. But in the end we were on the same page. I‘ll always love her, you know… Just not like that anymore.“

Jason nods again. „‚Couldn‘t control yourself‘ as in couldn’t control your godly powers?“

Percy hesitates there. Would he scare Jason off telling him about Akhlys? He hadn‘t told anyone. Only Annabeth knew. He thinks back to the park. Electricity dancing across Jasons skin. Maybe he would understand though.

Percys speaks low when he answers. „In Tartarus… I controlled a goddesses poison.“ Jasons eyes widen. His lips part. Percy forces himself to continue. „It scares me. It‘s like I don‘t know myself. I had no idea I was able to do that.“

Jason breathes out and takes a step closer. He reaches down as if to take Percys hand. Reflexively Percy pulls his own hand upward to meet him. But Jasons fingers hover above his, a mere millimeter between their skin. „I feel like a bomb about to go off sometimes. It‘s like I have a constant explosive belt around me. Half the time when I’m not in the best mood people flinch away from my touch - afraid to get one of those small electric shocks.“

Percy doesn‘t know how to express what he’s feeling in words. He feels so utterly understood. There’s so much sympathy for Jason flooding him. So he takes Jason hands, slides his fingers between his. Theres no electric shock. It‘s thrilling nonetheless. Jason meets his eyes. There’s an unreadable expression on his face. And maybe the air around them is a little bit charged now. „I‘m not afraid to touch you.“ Percy says. It’s almost a whisper.

After a moment Jason breathes in shakily and their hands part. The blonde rubs his own cheek where Percys stubble scratched along earlier. „You know, that beard his getting a bit unruly, don‘t you think?“

Percy smiles weakly. „Wasn‘t in the mood to shave lately.“

Jason grins, there’s a mischievous spark in his eyes. Like a flash of lighting across a blue sky.

Percy laughs. „I can‘t believe we‘re doing this.“ They’re in the bathroom. He‘s sitting on the edge of the bathtub. Jason is standing in front of him, holding a razor and a thin comb. 

„I‘m just trimming it a bit. Not shaving it off completely.“

„Oh? Why not?“ Percy asks, smiling up at Jason. But Jason won‘t quite meet his eyes. He leans down and brushes the comb through the short hair on Percys chin and cheeks. It sends a chill down his neck. „The stubble suits you.“ Jason murmurs.

„Ah.“ Percy doesn’t know what to say to that. He feels a bit breathless.

The whole time Percy tries not to stare at Jasons face. His lashes aren’t as long as Annabeths. But its fitting like this. Jason is all nice angles, soft edges, neat hair and light colors. Light blonde, light blue.

Percy often thinks of himself as too sharp. His jawline too defined, his hair a little too wild. His green eyes such a striking contrast to the almost black hair.

Jason is really close. Percy thinks maybe he‘s closer than necessary. He saw barbers cut people’s beards and they definitely weren‘t up in their patrons faces like that. Percy decides not to comment on it though. It’s not like he can complain anyway.

When Jason is done he pushes Percy in front of the mirror above the sink. „What do you think?“ 

Percy can barely concentrate in his own face with Jason standing so close behind him. He’s looking over his shoulder, appreciating his work on Percys face in the mirror. It does look quite nice. „I look like I have my shit together, can’t deny that.“

Jason throws his head back and laughs, Percy looks at him in the mirror and can‘t stop smiling either.

Jasons stomach rumbles. Percy chuckles. „Hungry?“

Jason stops laughing and puts hand on his belly. „Ugh, yeah. Didn‘t eat yet. I‘m kinda craving something sweet.“

Percy remembers the boxes of ice cream he bought a few days ago. He grabs Jasons wrist and pulls him to the kitchen.

„Holy Mars, you have ice cream!“ Jason says excitedly as Percy puts the boxes on the counter.

„It’s a special kind too.“ Percy pulls the lids off the one that’s already opened. „Grover recommended me this insane shop. It’s all vegan sorbet.“

„Seriously?“ Jason laughs.

Percy nods. „Yeah, and get ready for the flavor.“ He hods up the box now with two spoons sticking out of it. „Blueberry and basil.“

Jasons jaw drops. He scrunches up his nose. „Eeeew! What the Hades, what is that!“ He laughs again and dodges Percy when the Greek holds a spoonful in front of his face. „Nope. No, no, no, get that away from me.“

Percy practically chases Jason around the kitchen, both of them laughing and grinning. „Try it and I‘ll leave you alone!“ He traps Jason against the counter then and holds out the spoon again. Jason makes a pained face but sighs at last. „Alright, alright. One spoon. Because it’s you.“

Percy ignores the rush of satisfaction upon hearing those words. Jason opens his mouth.

Oh.

Percy hesitates but then carefully places the spoon on Jasons lower lip. It must feel cold because Jason shudders at the touch.

„Wait, it’s not so bad, holy shit?“

Percy grins. „Right? I love these.“ He steps away from the blonde and points at the other box sitting on the counter. „This one is Rosemary Apricot.“

They end up almost emptying both boxes. Jason is obsessed with the apricot one. It colors his tongue and lips are light shade of orange. Percy is sitting on the counter now, the empty blueberry sorbet box next to him. Jason catches him staring at his orange mouth. „What?“ he asks putting his box down too.

„Are my lips colored from the ice cream too?“ Percy asks.

Jasons gaze falls onto his lips. „I can‘t see from here.“ He walks towards him slowly. He only stops when he’s standing directly in front of him. Percys knees brush against either side of Jasons hips. It’s an interesting view, Percy thinks. Jason standing so close. His hands resting on Percys thighs. His eyes on his lips.

Jason leans in even closer. He lifts a hand to touch Percys lips ever so lightly. „Yeah.“ he whispers. „They’re blue.“ Jason is still staring at his lips when he continues. „When I said ‚take your time‘ earlier. When I got here. I meant college too. If anyone deserves to take some time, a year, or Hades even two years off…“ He looks up now, meeting Percys eyes. „…its you.“

Percys mind is spiraling. All he sees are blue eyes pulling him in like a lake glinting in moonlight. Or sunshine. Jason is both. He’s calm and cool and beautiful. But he’s beach blonde hair, sun-kissed skin and bubbly laughter too. He’s a breeze ruffling through Percys clothes and making him float. But he also grounds Percy in a way that makes him feel safe. Safe and understood.

Percy wonders if you can fall in love with someone in two weeks.

Maybe there’s always been something there. But only now, after the war they’re able to reach for it, discover it.

It doesn‘t really matter, Percy decides as Jasons grip on his thighs tightens. His eyes are on his lips again. Percy leans closer.

Their lips meet, one of Jasons hands comes up to cradle the back of Percys neck. Percy tilts his head and Jason deepens the kiss.

There’s so much emotion welling up inside Percy that he has to pull away for a second to take a deep breath. Their noses are still brushing against each other. „Okay?“ Jason whispers. Percy nods. Jason kisses him again, the taste of apricot fills Percys senses and he can‘t believe he’s never tried this before. 

He thinks he can feel an actual breeze of wind brushing around them now. Jason pulls away first this time. His face is flushed, there’s a faint smell of something burned. Percy realizes the kitchen light went out. „I‘m sorry I was afraid I might give you a shock or something.“ Jason says. 

Percy stares at him. „Did you just cause a short circuit?“

Jason swallows. „It happens sometimes. When I- when there’s a lot of… emotion.“

Percy keeps staring. He feels a million things but he doesn’t know how to put a single one of them into words.

They both don’t say anything for a few minutes. Until Jason takes a deep breath and steps closer to Percy again. „Percy, I think your fucking fascinating and wonderful. And I feel like every time you leave all I do is miss you. And I- I see you everywhere. When I look out at the beach, when I see someone eat something blue. Hades, anything that’s green reminds me of you too, its ridiculous. And that’s the craziest part. I remember all these details about you. Your long lashes, your emerald eyes, the feeling of your stubble on my skin I-“ Jason wrings his hands. He has a pleading look in his eyes. „I know this is kind of crazy and sudden. But I don‘t want it to stop.“ He‘s breathing heavily now.

All Percy can do is slowly grab his shirt and pull Jason closer. Closer and closer until their lips meet again. He places what feels like a hundred small kisses on Jasons lips. It’s a silent confirmation that Percy feels the same way about every single word Jason just said.

***

Annabeth, Grover, Thalia and Jason clap and cheer when Percy blows out the candles. It’s his birthday. It‘s been almost a year since Annabeth and him broke up. She isn’t in a new relationship but she told him she’s content like this. Annabeth being her own boss and all, Percy thinks it suits her. He’s still always there when she needs to see or talk to him.

They’re in the little apartment Percy and Jason got together. 

Percy never liked celebrating his birthday. It being the anniversary of the Battle of Manhattan didn’t help either.

But he’s at peace now. Surrounded by his closest friends he thinks he can deal with it. Jason wraps his arms around him. Because he’s always there to catch him when his thoughts take a dark turn. Which happens less often now.

Jason brushes his lips against his ear. „Come on, try the cake. I bet you’ll love it.“

It’s a blue cake. Thalia cuts it open and places a piece on his plate. He takes a bite. The glazing smells and tastes like blueberry. But the inside is apricot.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked this :)  
> Shoutout to that one amazing ice cream shop in Berlin where I got the inspiration for these crazy flavors!!  
> I always love to see reviews so feel free to tell me what you think! <333


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